CHIANG’S ‘different road’ in governor race — POLITICO

07/05/17

POLITICO

THE BUZZ: Gov’s Race and Old Glory — State Treasurer John Chiang, on a quest to become the state’s next governor, hit the road this weekend in a camper proclaiming that he offers “a different road for California.” And sitting on the front lawn of an Alameda Victorian Tuesday, at the close of Alameda’s picture-perfect Fourth of July parade, Chiang sought to prove it to voters —one at a time.

— Chiang — who’s running in a crowded Democratic field that includes Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and ex-Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin — spent time with voters like Cynthia Schaff, an Alameda mother of three, who asked him point blank: “What do you have planned for the state?” He plunged into a lively discussion regarding his views on health care, finances, taxes, tech, and how to get labor unions involved in training the next generation of trades in the state’s community colleges.

— By the time he was finished, Schaff — who said she’s just beginning to tune into the governor’s race — said Chiang had definitely gotten her attention. “We need a lot of voices, representing a lot of points of view in this state,’’ she said. “And I don’t know that Newsom is it.”

— Chiang, who vows to hit all 58 counties on that “different road for California,’’ says his campaign is about reaching voters slow and steady, one at a time if necessary. “People have real issues, and they want to hold elected officials accountable’’ — especially when it comes to presenting solutions on issues like single-payer health care that meet the state’s bottom line, he said. “This is where Gov. Brown has been very effective; he was great at saying no.”